Day of funerals and weddings in Hyderabad

Euronews

Although relatives of the victims of the Hyderabad bombings are still turning up at hospitals to find out if they have lost loved ones, everyone is realising just how close the city came to absolute carnage. Three bombs did kill over 40 people, but 19 others failed to explode. If they had Hyderabad might be trying to cope with hundreds of deaths. It was the start of a weekend of festivities, but it all went horribly wrong; “My family had gone shopping for the upcoming festival and had stopped at the restaurant for a snack. Out of the four people from my family who went, my wife and two nieces are dead; only one survived”, said one tearful man.

Hyderabad is one of India’s largest cities and has a history of strained relations between Hindus and Muslims. Local leaders have appealed for calm, as police say they suspect Islamic militants for the attacks. Politicians have backed these appeals up by visiting the scenes of the explosions and promising that the attackers will be found. This weekend is considered especially lucky for Hindus, and Hyderbad is full of thousands of couples getting married. These celebrations are now having to share a sad spotlight with the many funerals also taking place.